


peripheral

by stellatiate



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, Hot Chocolate, Introspection, Sleepy Cuddles, cute winter stuff!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-09-11 01:55:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8949037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellatiate/pseuds/stellatiate
Summary: "Every morning that she wakes up, he’s already gone." Allura can't seem to see him, but she can feel him through the things he leaves behind. -—allura & shiro, modern au.





	

Allura cannot quite pinpoint where it starts.

He approaches her one day while she is making some adjustments to a research paper, her legs pulled into the couch cushions with the television playing softly and her hair tied in a high ponytail away from her face. She rests her chin on top of her knees and sighs dejectedly, and it’s when he floats by and sets a steaming mug in front of her. He doesn’t say anything (but she can feel his fingertips brushing across her back ever so lightly) and she’s only marginally grateful for it.

It’s hot chocolate. The mug is a simple one, decorated with the label of _world’s greatest dad_ , but the froth of whipped cream at the top of the drink is enough to bring a wide grin to her mouth. Allura lets all of her worries for her paper melt into the edges of the mug, curling her hands around it for warmth.

It's not the first time that Shiro does it for her. Each day that she works on her paper, she finds a new brew waiting for her. One evening, she tastes a hint of peppermint at the dredges of cocoa sticking to the bottom of the mug, and another night is a cup infused with almond flavor. Allura doesn’t get to express her appreciation for it until she is crawling into bed, yawning and stretching her way under the covers. Before she succumbs to sleep, she makes sure to lean over and whisper a thanks to him, curling herself at his side.

Every morning that she wakes up, he’s already gone.

Allura doesn’t know how to describe the way Shiro is always doing these thoughtful things for her, a way to avoid direct comfort when she is overwhelmed, but a way for her to feel his touch all the same. She feels like working on her graduate thesis has done nothing but steal her away from him, and yet he still finds a way to press himself carefully in the margins of her life without causing too much trouble.

So, when she turns in her paper for final revisions, she can feel herself breathing a sigh of relief. The day she returns home afterward seems like a celebration that only she knows about, feeling almost instantaneously lighter without the burden of school work.

This time, when he brings her a hot chocolate, she grins and holds one out for him, drags him down into a seat beside her until they’re nestled together on the couch. The shock that outlines his features is clear, but all the same, he stays by her side, happy.

Every morning that she wakes up, he’s right beside her.

 


End file.
